Haunting Hunted Hearts
by Ichinomiya Kantarou
Summary: 3x4:Stuck in an old manor,haunted by a seemingly lustful apparition,plagued with vague memories of a dark, painful past of betrayal,trust and loyalty put to a test,and then, there was this headless ragdoll,and a confused Quatre torn in between...3x4x3....
1. The Curse

**...........................................................Disclaimer: The Gundam Wing boys aren't mine, as much as I'd want them to be.......................................**

**HAUNTING HUNTED HEARTS**

**Chapter 1: "THE CURSE"**

"Would somebody please remind me why we're here again?"

There was a sound of something snapping, a bone, a vein, a nerve or more accurately, someone's brittle patience as the American ex-gundam pilot nonchalantly declared his impatience, disregarding the fact that all of his other companions are not in a fine mood as well.

"No, more like, would somebody PLEASE shove a cork on this idiot's mouth for sanity's sake." Surprisingly, the usually short-tempered Chinese youth was able to state his sarcasm calmly as he crossed his arms over his chest and quickened his pace, scowling due to the beads of perspiration forming on his forehead and on some parts of his body better not mentioned.

"We are here to prove to everyone once and for all, the non-existence of ghosts and otherworldly creatures. A fact that they failed to see which condemned the poor ancient manor to the point of being inhabitable due to false rumors and belief that it is, as they say, 'HAUNTED'." With an impassive face, the tall acrobat continued to walk in an even pace, his rigid posture and seriousness indicating his immunity towards the scorching heat of the sun as it glared down on the five youth whilst trudging in the seemingly endless thick forest of same-looking trees.

No, they're not lost at all. In fact, the Japanese brown-haired lad who was walking five steps ahead of them all seemed to act as their guide. He had the directions engraved in his mind alright, as expected, never go around readily accepting missions without fully getting the details perfectly clear, only a fool would rush head on to something without knowing what awaits on the other side.

"Well, this seems like a good excursion for all of us, busy and all. And I'm sure we're all quite excited to be doing something new for a change, ne?" The blonde Arabian, most conspicuous of the five, probably due to his innocent looks and the amiable air of friendliness he exudes making him the most easiest to approach, flashed the acrobat a pleading look, as though asking for a reinforcement of his statement to make it more believable. However, all he got was a blank stare, as usual.

'_And here I thought this is going to be some sort of a romantic getaway for all of us. And I was even looking forward to spending some alone time with HIM. But they all appeared as bothered and alert as always, as though expecting for some ambush to happen anytime soon.'_

There was a silent sigh as his shoulders slumped further.

'_Once a soldier, always a soldier.'_

"Is there a problem, Quatre?"

A concerned voice, Trowa's voice.

Without a minute's hesitation, the blonde immediately looked up and practically choked upon unexpectedly locking his jade orbs with the other's deep forest green ones.

"O-of course it is, I didn't say anything—I—You—The weather is really nice in here, the view is refreshing, nature is appealing—The-The stars at night in this place is particularly fascinating, you won't believe the constellations they formed in the skies—they're simply breathtaking, gorgeous, magical—Er…"

_'Oops...My tongue slipped...?'_

Quatre halted, as he ran out of excuses, he shut his eyes tight, afraid of being caught in the act and of facing his friends' wrath, especially the one standing closest to him right now. But instead of angry voices of reprimands, he was met with silence and incredulous stares, as though he'd been blabbering gibberish.

With an awkward smile, Quatre gestured for everyone to resume walking.

"Er—Is there a problem?"

It was his turn to ask. Trowa only blinked back at him. Heero resumed walking soundlessly, Wufei snorted in obvious annoyance. Duo made his way towards him with a sly smile on his face.

"Q-man, what's with that answer? Are you perchance, hiding something from us? You know we all hate being left in the dark. So, spill. What do you know about this little excursion of ours, eh? "

Without warning, Duo draped a heavy arm over Quatre's left shoulder, effectively ruining any chances of escape for the blonde. Yet Quatre refused to give in.

"I don't know what you're talking about Duo. If ever this was a set-up, I'm part of it too, a hapless victim just like you guys." Quatre tried to pry Duo's arms off of him but the other just won't budge. Trowa only gave them an unreadable stare, his V-shaped eyebrows indicating confusion, before finally following Heero and Wufei's lead into the forest, leaving Quatre mercilessly in the wild American youth's hands. Quatre practically sank to the ground as Trowa went further and further away from him, all the blonde Arabian could see was his back.

'_Trowa…Don't leave me…No!...Wait!...I'm sorry…I didn't mean to—'_

"Quat? Q-buddy? Qua-chan? Q-man? No Hey Quatre what's wrong?"

Two bulky duffel bags fell with a loud thud on the ground. One body lost its strength to keep standing, falling limply on the other active one's arms. Two youth walking ahead began to turn back at the sound of the usual cheerful American's voice, now reduced to near hysterics as he shouted his friend's name over and over, hoping to get a response. The last of the group stood there staring at the unconscious lad, who, just seconds ago was blabbering nonsense to him, answering his question wrongly.

"He just fainted, don't worry. Maybe it's heat stroke? Oh Q-man, don't scare us like this."

"Better hurry and find the cursed place then, before another one among us faints."

"Hey Fei, are you trying to pick a fight with me? Oh never mind, you make yourself useful and carry those bags, why don't you."

"Whatever. If this'll shut you up, I'd gladly do it. I'm so fed up of having to put up with you and your annoyingly high-pitched voice."

"High-pitched—?"

"Alright that's enough, you rowdy lot. Duo, you might want to carry him properly. We don't know what's wrong with him yet. Best be careful how you handle him."

"Duo, please, let me…"

Duo's jaw dropped, but just in time, he managed to bring it back to its rightful position. Wufei only stared with a bored look on his face, duffel bags in hand. Heero surreptitiously smirked, gesturing for Duo to do as Trowa said.

"Sure, no prob."

Trowa nodded as his form of thank you while gently collecting the unconscious Quatre in his arms, forest green eyes steadily watching the other's serene expression. He inwardly sighed in relief seeing as how the other doesn't seem to be in any sort of life-threatening danger.

"Alright that's enough drama. Let's get moving."

Heero's strong voice somehow penetrated through the thick atmosphere as the others followed suit, with Wufei mumbling incoherently to himself, something about him unceremoniously being turned into a nanny.

--

"Is this the place?"

The sound of their boots quickly dissipated into the air as the four of them halted, all eyes studying the old worn out manor standing in front of them, looking fragile and simply…dangerously inhabitable.

"What, you sound disappointed Wu-man. Been expecting a Five-Star Hotel I bet."

"Looks like this edifice could collapse anytime. Are you certain this is the said house we're supposed to stay at?" Wufei confirmed, turning to Heero and deliberately ignoring Duo's banters. But the other just won't give up.

"You mean, exorcise, Wufei. We're here to do some ghost-hunting and stuff, remember? So don't go expecting some grand, bongacious building to greet us."

"I'd hate to admit it, but Duo's right. And yes, I'm certain this is the place." Without another word, Heero proceeded to the porch, clearly intent on entering the house as though having an insatiable thirst to satisfy his curiosity.

"If you say so…"

With a shrug, Wufei followed, wanting to discard the burden in his hands as quickly as he could. A nice cold bath would be nice as well. Add a fine Chinese cuisine for lunch today and he's bound to keep his complaints to himself.

Smirking to himself, he stepped inside, obsidian eyes roaming on the first sight that greeted him, which was the house's living room. Somehow, it looked normal, not cramped, not spacey, it was filled with just the right number of furniture, adequately arranged in their proper places. The couch, though not looking cozy and clean, was inviting to the tired legs of Wufei. Taking out a hanky, the Chinese youth wiped a spot on the left end of the couch before settling himself comfortably, his leg muscles relieved.

"Well, I suppose it's safe to come in. Considering Wufei's weight and the house still standing in one piece, without any signs of crumbling, yes, I declare it safe for us to go." Flashing Trowa a toothy grin, Duo skipped merrily into the house, quickly spotting Wufei and rushing over to sit beside him. "Mind if I sit with you? Yes, thank you."

Wufei rolled his eyes, squirming away from the braided boy as the other sat himself a bit too close for comfort. "No one violates my personal space and gets away with it. So if you value your pathetic life, no, I mean, your beloved long braid, you'd best keep your hands to yourself, Maxwell."

"Oh, I'm deeply insulted, CHANG. What makes you think I'm interested with putting my hands anywhere near you? Dream on Dragon boy." Duo didn't bother to hide his snickers upon seeing his expected reaction, a scowling Wufei, almost fire-breathing, a murderous glint in his obsidian eyes. "You think you're irresistible when you pull that look? Oh please, can't you do better? That's not a nice enough turn on. Want me to show you how to do it the right way?"

With one last poisonous glare, Wufei rose from his seat, as dignified a posture as he could, and began to head for the stairs.

"Hey Wu-man, fun's just starting! Where're you going? Chickening out, are you? Ouch!"

Something hard was tossed in the American lad's direction, the plastic bag landing on his hands after bouncing on his head. "What's this?"

"Chicken. Since you're the king of gluttony among us, it is only fair you be the one to prepare the food." Heero answered calmly as he, too, began to ascend the stairs after Trowa, who was still carrying an unconscious Quatre.

"Riiiiight, and what would you do, Mister Self-Proclaimed Leader of our great Gundam Team?"

"It is not for you to know. Now start cooking or else I'll assume you're only scared to be left alone here downstairs for making those pathetic excuses." Without looking back, Heero soundlessly mounted the stairs, leaving a distressed Duo.

"Scared? Who's scared?"

With a nervous laugh and a single drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face, Duo slowly got up and hummed a happy tune, making his way to the kitchen, from time to time, glancing back to make sure he was indeed, alone.

--

'_Cold…I'm feeling cold…Trowa…Where are you?'_

The blonde's eyelids gradually flickered, until finally, it opened fully, jade eyes studying his surroundings precariously, as though half-expecting he was in a dimly lit dungeon with torches about to die, a captured prey about to be devoured alive by his unknown bestial predator. Yet where he found himself in was nowhere near his dreadful assumptions.

Quatre carefully sat upright, head turning towards the windows, examining the skies to determine the time. It was almost sunset, just how long was he out? And, more importantly, what just happened to him? His memories weren't that clear as to how and why he fell unconscious so suddenly. Clutching his chest, he discovered that his heart was beating in a fast pace, odd, does this mean he's nervous, afraid, uncomfortable?

'_Someone's watching me…Someone's watching me…Someone's watching me…'_

There was a hiss behind him, a cold breath touching the back of his neck. Quatre abruptly turned around with wide eyes, only to be faced with an unresponsive and non-threatening wall with cracks and scraping paint, its hue hard to distinguish due to old age. Yellow, beige, white. It was hard to tell.

Laughing somewhat aloud if only to disperse the accumulating tension that hung in the air of this small cramped room, Quatre swung his legs on the bed's side, finding solid ground and attempting to stand on it. He was halfway towards the door when his chest throbbed violently, sending painful jolts all over his body and making him lose balance that he tripped and plunged to the wooden floor. He gasped as he looked up to where his instinct was telling him to. Opposite the bed was a full-length mirror, something he failed to notice before.

Slowly lifting himself up from the floor, Quatre sat on his knees, jade eyes turning glassy and wide upon seeing an unfamiliar profile of a man staring back at him with equal surprise. Clamping his hands to his mouth, Quatre suppressed the strong urge to scream as he slowly whirled around to confirm the mirror's reflection. Yet there, on his bedside table, from where he saw an unknown man sitting before, only sat a battered looking rag doll the size of his arm. Its faded lifeless eyes , oblong shaped and hued black with two tiny spots of white, stared mockingly back at the startled blonde youth, its lips, merely made out of a thin red thread, slightly curved into an odd-looking smile, eerie and sympathetic at the same time.

"Wha…" was all Quatre managed to say. Without blinking, he unintentionally engaged himself in a staring contest with the battered rag doll. Until it spoke, in a cold, high-pitched tone, and it sounded as though someone desperately tried to act as its voice over. Yet Quatre paid no heed to the ludicrous thought of a speaking doll as what he had heard left him in chaos. And it said…

"KILL…KILL…KILL…"

--

**A.N:** _Reviews would be very much appreciated! Especially constructive criticisms, anything to help improve my writing. As I'm new around here, I wish for everyone's support, and...guide? *sheepish smile*. I just love Quatre and Trowa so much, their pairing is the best! That's why I wanted to try my hand on them, see if I can write something...readable? Please people, I look forward to your responses._


	2. Of Phantom Mimes

**Disclaimer applied:**

**Chapter 2: "…Of Phantom Mimes…"**

Thump…Thump…Thump…

Steady low pounding of his heart beat tantamount to that of a drum beat could be heard continuously, invading his ears and preventing him from thinking clearly. He was desperately trying to catch his breath, his slim body unstoppable in trembling. He was unable to move his frozen fingers, rigid and shaking, either from fear or indecision of his next action. His instincts told him to run, yet escape was the last thing on his mind at the moment. What was first though…is to protect.

Protect someone. Steer him away from harm's perilous path.

Stay, fled not alone, not just to save himself, value not only his own life, but 'his' too.

And many others as well.

Pain.

What he needs to feel right now is pain, in the hopes of bringing him back to his senses. Maybe by then, he will be able to convince himself that what he saw and heard, was nothing but paranoia and overreaction. Just a trick of light, deception of reflection, distorted, nonexistent, purely imaginative.

Pulling his closed fist back, he gave all energy he had in that one thrust towards the lying piece of object, without any reluctance nor apprehension for what pain he is about to be subjected to.

With a sharp, determined look on his usually serene and pacified face, Quatre sent his fist diving onto the full-body mirror's smooth glassy surface.

Pain, the best sensation to erase the obscurity by illusions done to distort what's real.

_'Pain, here I come…'_

--

"Get off me."

"Nope."

"For the second time, I will ask you nicely, won't you PLEASE get off me!"

"Nope, no can do."

"I demand that you get off me this instant or I'll incinerate the object of your manly pride!"

"Uh—which is?"

"Don't go sniveling all over in the end for you brought this upon yourself, you psychotic braid-infatuated ape!"

"Hey, that's not a cute description at all! Care to come up with another one more pleasing to the ears?"

There was a sound of a glass shattering from upstairs which somehow managed to get through Duo and Wufei's intense bantering and in no time did it caught their attention. Duo instantly jumped to his feet, out of the bed where an exhausted Wufei lay on his stomach, attempting to relieve his muscles after an intense training with his katana. Despite the mysterious commotion though, Wufei appeared glad of ridding the burden on his back without further coercing, yet he forced himself to separate his body from the bed and follow Duo, who was already on his way to the stairs.

"It's Quatre…Guess he's finally awake…" Suddenly turning serious, Duo climbed the stairs two at a time, Wufei following closely behind.

"Indeed, I was starting to wonder if he is ill. He did look paler than usual. And him suddenly fainting for no explicable reason suggests something odd and worthy of attention is going on with him."

Duo was not given the chance to reply as they have reached the top of the stairs, and from there, they could make out Trowa's lean back facing them, from the door of Quatre's room which was now standing ajar.

"Wow, he's fast."

Wufei could only hide a perplexing smile upon Duo's comment.

--

"You're bleeding. What did you do that for?"

"Th-the doll—It—It was…saying…whispering…dictating…KILL over and over...H-horrible—sneer…Something evil…"

"Come again?"

Silence came next as Quatre's reply, his blonde head hung low so that his blonde bangs shaded his eyes from view, while there seemed to be a sudden arrival of dark, gloomy clouds which hovered menacingly above their heads. And Trowa was at a loss of what to say next, heck, he was even confused of the other's negative reaction. Has he, by any chance, offended him somehow? He didn't mean to sound skeptical. He was only trying to confirm what he thought he had heard. After all, for someone as logical as Trowa, it is hard for him to believe in something that is impossible and inexplicable.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the tall serious lad approached the blonde with careful, calculating steps, testing the other's reaction. If Quatre so much as flinch, that would be Trowa's cue to leave, that's it, no questions asked.

Finally Trowa managed to kneel beside Quatre without receiving any negative hints that he placed a light hand on the other's shoulder and spoke in a smooth, quiet voice. "Let me see your hand."

Lifting his face, Quatre at last overcame his annoyance with Trowa and decided to deal with it later that he allowed a drop of tear to roll down his cheek, announcing his pain over the injury he so foolishly called forth. Smiling awkwardly, Quatre brought up his bleeding fist for examination, barely stifling a light-hearted laugh in the process. And to Trowa, it amazingly appeased his anxieties, not to mention brought some sort of excitement all over his body, a dangerous feeling indeed.

"It really doesn't hurt that much Trowa. Don't worry. It's fine. I'll take care of it myself, I guess I've bothered you enough, with nonsense and trashy stories about talking rag dolls…" Quatre's voice trailed off as he suddenly found it hard to continue, jade eyes stuck with the other's enchanting forest green ones.

Deep, eloquent, even without speaking, Quatre can tell the other's intense eyes wish to deliver him some sort of message. Whatever it was, Quatre could only hope, and his hope will remain for what he had seen right now, is enough to strengthen his fate.

His fate that perhaps, he does have a chance after all.

"Allow me…"

_'…to take care of you…'_ Trowa almost said, yet his brain stopped his tongue just in time, and instead of finishing his sentence, he merely assisted the dazed blonde on his feet before leaving him there alone, promising to return after retrieving the first aid kit, located somewhere downstairs. Quatre could only nod as he watched him go.

--

_'What's wrong with me…'_

Trowa, lost in thought, practically bumped with Duo as he absentmindedly headed for the stairs, yet the other's cheerful voice managed to alert him somehow.

"Do I smell something fishy here? T-man, is Q-man fine? What's with the loud crash?"

"First aid kit." Was the other's quick and serious answer, walking past the eager Duo. Without waiting for any reply, Trowa descended the stairs in a hurry, still keeping a straight face. Wufei only gave a slight shake of his head before going ahead to Quatre's room.

"Man, what's up with him?" Letting his eyes linger on the spot from where Trowa was standing minutes ago, Duo allowed his wild imagination to run freely and come up with an explanation of what Trowa was doing in Quatre's room before sighing and finally following Wufei.

"Courtship these days…"

--

"Will you quit laughing already? I don't see anything funny about it. I should have known, not any of you will believe me." Crossing his arms tight over his chest, Quatre's action earned him a glare from Trowa, who was still tending over the bandage on his wounded fist. "Oops, sorry…" The blonde mumbled then bit his bottom lip, his cheeks tainted with a mild blush, very conspicuous against his usual pale cheeks.

Then, as though to get rid of the awkward moment, Quatre blew on his bangs, jade eyes staring upward as he began to fidget on his seat. Too much proximity is starting to suffocate him, not to mention, why did the room suddenly seem so small…and clamped…and…wait, he was never claustrophobic, or was he?

"Maybe Heero would believe you." Duo stuttered in between laughs while clutching his stomach and attempting to control his merriment at his friend's expense.

"Is that hideous thing the one you are referring to Winner? What a pity, it's the perfect picture of misery. It seemed as though every part of it screams agony and begs for a quick and painless termination." Eying the said object critically, Wufei refrained from touching the filthy rag doll, despite his desire to do so of examining the doll and searching for any hidden gadgets that might do Quatre's incredulous statements justice.

"This doll—"

"—should not be touched by an overly excited child such as you. A fragile and delicate object such as this must be handled with the utmost care, which I doubt something you even know Duo." Trowa carefully collected the doll in his hands, intercepting Duo, who now gave him an annoyed glare.

"Hey I meant it no harm Tro, now where's the fun, killjoys."

"Things are not meant to be fun ALWAYS Duo, can't you understand that?"

"Not you too Quat, come on, we came here for FUN alright? That's the main reason we agreed to take their challenge."

"No, you must mean, our PRIDE is the reason why we agreed to accept this mission Duo."

"Oh pride, fun, they're all the same, doesn't matter either way. Point is, why can't you all just relax and loosen up a bit? Lady Une and the girls were all right to send us to some desolated area far away from work and real life. We DO need to take a break once in a while."

"I'm in no mood to argue with you…Will everyone please just go? I'll see you all at dinner. I…think I just need some alone time to organize my thoughts, if you all won't mind?"

"Right, shove us away every time we come too close to your bare and vulnerable soul. To hell with friends and making deep connections and establishing trust thing—"

"Duo, what are you saying? I never meant that, all I'm saying is—"

"What are YOU doing Quat? You're the one acting suspicious here, I think you have some major explaining to do—"

"What do you think I'm hiding? I'm hiding nothing at all, I—"

"Listen here Quat—"

"The fact is—"

"Yes the FACT is, YOU never listen—"

"I'm fed up of your inability to understand—"

"What the fu—?"

There was a soft thud, a fist-size round object fell rolling on the wooden floor, and came to a stop just inches away from the new comer's feet. Silence pervaded the room as the clueless Heero studied the tableau presented before him upon his arrival to Quatre's room.

Trowa was standing rigidly, hands outstretched towards the head of a half-crouched Duo. Wufei and Quatre both stared at them with wide, astonished eyes, then at the object Trowa was holding.

It was…a headless ragdoll.

--

**A.N: I shall be awaiting your reponses, minna-san. Any kind of comments are most welcome. Come again next time!**

**To Triolet**: *_As my first reviewer, thank you very much!)*Since this is my first try of writing a gundam wing fanfic, I suppose I will have quite a hard time in keeping them in character, I'll try my best though. Thanks for the advice, I'll try to keep it in my overloaded mind lol. Hope this chapter somehow answers some of your questions. As to why Quatre fainted, it will be revealed in future chapters. And hello fellow tactics fan, glad to have found someone who shares the same interest as mine lol. Anyways, I would love to have another review from you. Please don't hold back. Say what you have to. *smiles*_


	3. Luminously Descending

**Disclaimer applied:**

**Chapter 3: "…Luminously Descending…"**

An earsplitting scream that would have put a squeaking five-year old spoiled brat of a girl to shame followed, almost unrecognizable as belonging to any of the five ex-gundam pilots. Four shocked eyes of varying hues turned to regard the source of the eerie noise, and it was Quatre, who until now, refused to stop screaming despite the fact that his throat felt dry and is closed to being ignited should he continue this horrible activity.

Being the most calm of the four, not to mention the most concerned, Trowa immediately rushed to Quatre's aid who had now sank helplessly on the bed, trembling violently, unfocused jade eyes staring up at the ceiling as though expecting for some bloodied monstrosity to materialize and start attacking them all. Lightly embracing the frightened blonde, Trowa used his free hand to encircle around Quatre's waist while his other hand holding the now headless ragdoll, was used to caress the latter's slim back, hoping to calm him down somehow.

"Quatre…that's enough. Quatre, everything is alright, don't be afraid, nothing bad is going to happen. If you're worried about this doll, we can just repair it easily. Catherine taught me how to patch broken dolls before, so stitching back its head would be quite easy. Hush now…"

Trowa did his best to give words of assurance yet his efforts seemed fruitless. Quatre did however, shut up, though his body remained tensed, his jade eyes moving in different directions, very wary of each and every person in the room. Finally, he managed to recompose himself and began speaking almost in a whisper. The fear in his eyes was so visible that his calm tone betrayed his true feelings inside.

"No Trowa. You don't understand, none of you does. This doll, what you did to it, whether intentionally or not…No, we're doomed. That's just it, we are all doomed. We can't—We can't—No…" Quatre started to stutter and stammer, momentarily ignoring the others' presence in the room, and pushing himself away from Trowa, he stood up with shaky legs and went for the door.

Yet Heero was quick enough. Before Quatre could even let himself out, Heero was there blocking his way with a firm grip on the other's slender arm.

"Where do you think you're going? You're unwell. You should stay here and recover your strength. Let us deal with the rest." Heero almost added that Quatre needs to recover his right mind as well but decided against speaking it out loud, he knew the other might get even more hysterical.

"Besides, you haven't eaten anything since this morning. You've skipped lunch, and now you're about to skip dinner. Stay here and we'll bring you something to eat. Don't worry about the doll."

Again, Heero forced himself to keep his opinions to his mind alone, as he swiftly gave the said ragdoll a look of complete disinterest before locking midnight blue eyes to Quatre's jade ones and slowly relieving the other of his vice-like grip once he was sure Quatre will no longer resist.

"Heero's right Q-man, just stay here and rest while I prepare you something nice to eat, alright? Be back in a jiffy!" Feeling somewhat guilty and partially responsible to what had happened, Duo made a quick exit as he practically ran for the door and headed for the stairs, not wanting to make Quatre wait for his food for too long.

On the other hand, Wufei, not the least bit disturbed of the event, merely shrugged with his arms crossed over his chest, and gave Trowa a slight nod as though entrusting the clean-up to him, before letting himself out of the suffocating room. Heero though, did not move, still waiting for Quatre's affirmation.

Sighing, Quatre finally agreed without putting up a fight. No need to be scared, he's not going to be alone this time. Trowa's here, Heero is too, and everyone else. They may not believe him now, but the point is, he shouldn't give in to his fear, especially if that fear bordered on nothing but unproven suspicions, or rather, hallucinations. He had faced worst in the past, more life-threatening situations that could not be overcome and survived by most kids his age, compared to that, this is nothing.

Yes, this is nothing, that's what he thought, and believed, for now.

Glancing at Trowa, Heero seemed to deliver a telepathic order before finally resigning and going out of the room as well. And now that there was only the two of them left alone in the room, Trowa once again slipped on his mask of indifference, not wanting to reveal his emotions now in turmoil for worrying about Quatre's wellbeing. The other though, appeared to understand that instead of starting up a conversation, Quatre merely allowed himself to lie on the bed and forced to close his eyes tight, content on just having Trowa around to watch over him.

Observing his actions, Trowa also understood the other's gesture as a sign of exhaustion. He then pulled a chair near Quatre's bed and settled himself comfortably as he eventually began to relax, legs crossed, arms crossed, forest green eyes cast down as he allowed his mind to wander.

And then before he forgot, he turned towards the other side of the bed, where the damaged ragdoll sat on top of the bedside table, motionless and lifeless. Of course, lifeless, just what would one expect from a doll? Sighing, Trowa once again collected himself and decided against thinking about anything related to that doll he unintentionally ruined. To rid his conscience of his guilt, he made a mental note of fixing it later, for Quatre's sake as well.

--

Sitting still in one place has never been appealing to Wufei, especially if there is something that needs to be accomplished. And right now, he must remind himself that the reason for their sudden uncalled for vacation in this old rundown manor is not for naught. They DO have something to accomplish. And sitting here in the couch doing nothing will only prolong their sojourn to this boring, old creepy place which, if you ask him, is a real waste of time. However did he get himself involve in this, he couldn't even begin to think.

'_I guess I truly have become one of them…A part of them…Not just their group…But of their, what, family? Ridiculous…Since when did I become so soft?'_

Shaking his head and allowing a small smile on his face, Wufei stood up and headed…anywhere, somewhere to keep himself busy and not just a sitting duck. Yes, exploration sounds appealing to his ears right now.

Minutes of strolling without a direction in mind later, Wufei discovered himself standing in front of a room with huge wooden doors. He could tell the doors were once polished and varnished in a delicate shade of somewhere between light brown and gold, yet now, it was reduced to a mere bare wood, full of cracks that looked as though long sharp claws were used to damage the doors.

Claws, Wufei almost laughed at the random thought of perhaps one sharp-clawed beast which somehow managed to find a way in and used the poor door to sharpen his blunt claws.

Without any door knobs, Wufei directly pushed the doors and found himself entering…a music room. Letting his interested obsidian eyes wander through the spacey room, Wufei was finally left to conclude that the only instrument in this 'music room' was a grand piano, which surprisingly did not look antique. In fact, with its smooth shining black surface and unblemished white keys, one could easily believe the instrument was brand new. Save for the high-backed chair placed with it, its intricate carvings indicating its old age.

Strange, why use such a chair in playing the piano?

Maybe the pianist has low tolerance for backaches?

Again chuckling at the absurdity of his own thoughts, Wufei approached the piano as though entranced by its beauty. Yet upon reaching it, he had not a clue of why he allowed himself near it. He doesn't even know how to play a piano. No, never interested to even try. So, what now?

"Do you want to hear how it plays, Wufei?"

Wufei practically jumped upon hearing an unexpected voice, but soon relaxed as he laid eyes on a paler-than-usual Quatre, who was now smiling lazily at him. He appeared tired and devoid of his usual vigor and glow, even so, Quatre did not seem to emit any signs of serious illness which led the other to relax and not demand him to return to his bed at once.

"I'll gladly play for you."

Finally reaching the piano, Quatre lovingly caressed the white keys, as though testing its feel on his fingers, his jade eyes has a slightly disturbing look on it, but it quickly faded away just as he shifted his eyes to meet Wufei's inquiring ones. Suddenly aware of their close proximity, Wufei took a step back and gestured for Quatre to sit on the high-backed chair.

"Go ahead."

He answered quietly, closely observing the other's actions as though waiting for some clue that would indicate this Quatre with him right now is an impostor. Yet Quatre only complied, looking too excited to notice anything on his surroundings as he positioned his fingers on the keys, then without another word, closed his eyes.

Quatre's fingers slowly descended upon the keys, each pressing with deadly accuracy yet given with mere light pressure as though afraid the keys might sink too hard and never come back to its position again. As prelude of what was to come, the piano began to sing a gentle, sad tune, its melody somewhat familiar to Wufei's ears yet at the same time, it was not. Slow rhythm, slow tempo, low pitch, Wufei closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift in a sea of calmness only Quatre's music could give. Then gradually, the music picked up its pace, slowly working its way to a crescendo, the tune of every key Quatre laid his finger on, seemed to give Wufei the feeling of a million pinpricks raining down on him, gently tickling his sensitive skin. And Wufei tilted his head upward as a gesture of his willingness to embrace the oddly comforting and addictive sensation.

Alluring, fascinating, overwhelming and he is losing himself to it.

Lifting his hand, it unconsciously dropped itself on Quatre's shoulders, the latter paying no heed to it as he only continued to increase the music's pace, finally reaching a devilish climax. To anyone who could hear the piano, one would think the person behind the music is rapidly on his way to becoming a madman. And to that someone, they would immediately find the song distracting and abnormal, the usual reaction would be to shut out the music from his ears or ask the pianist to stop playing lest he'd allow his sanity to be lost along with the mad pianist, yet in this case, Wufei oddly seemed to ask for more.

Sliding his hands down Quatre's bare arms, Wufei leaned closer and stopped just as he was inches away from the blonde pianist's inviting neck. Eyes closed and completely driven by desire, Wufei inhaled the other's intoxicating scent, his mouth ready to taste the other's inviting flesh when the door swung violently open revealing a very distraught and worried Trowa.

The tall youth was catching his breath hard, perspiration occupied his wrinkled forehead, his bangs keeping the heat contained, but the sight that greeted him made him forget his exhaustion of searching for Quatre all over the large manor. Growling, Trowa dashed straight for Wufei and pushed him back roughly, for a moment, even considering to give his 'friend' a nice punch as a wake up call. Even so, his calm nature prevailed that he reminded himself Wufei is now one of his friends and it was enough to keep his fist to himself.

"What…do you think you're…doing?" Trowa asked instead as he tried to catch his breath, he stood blocking Quatre from Wufei, the blonde still apparently oblivious of the happenings that he only continued to play the piano.

Trowa began to think the other might have been sleepwalking and is not aware of his actions at the present, seeing as how Quatre went on ignoring them, with his eyes closed and body on autopilot. Shifting his eyes to Wufei, he discovered that the other was as dazed and clueless of his own actions as well.

What the hell just happened here?

He wasn't trying to hit on Quatre, or was he?

For sexuality's sake, Chang Wufei is not gay! He'd bet his bangs on that! He'd never dream on doing it with a girl, much less a guy, so the implications of what Trowa had seen, was just a mistake.

A mistake.

Nothing but a mistake.

Yet something odd, something wrong, something delusional, something sick…is going on here, Trowa could practically smell it in the air.

What about Quatre then?

Who thought he would ever be interested in someone like Wufei?

As far as he knew, the only one he could possibly have interest in would be Heero, seeing as how they appear to be close friends with the Sanc kingdom matter and all that.

But no. Quatre seemed just as friendly with everyone else.

It was hard to tell if he's infatuated with someone, for he gives them all equal treatment.

Quatre has always been kind, to everyone, including him, and Wufei.

Damn, what does he care anyway? So what if Quatre likes someone beyond friendship? It's not any of his freaking business.

Don't care, don't care, don't care.

That he so willingly agreed to watch over the boy as he was worried for his wellbeing, that he decided to stay on the blonde's room and keep a close eye on him, only to wake up and find him missing.

No, let's rephrase that, only to wake up and find him about to be devoured by one of HIS friends.

_'And mine too…'_ Trowa thought grimly, casting his eyes away from a disoriented Wufei.

"What, Barton, Winner, I—What's happening? Why is he here?" Wufei pointed at Quatre who now at last ceased playing. The music room was immediately flooded with silence. Surprisingly, Quatre sat there rigidly, not bothering to answer the Chinese youth's question, nor to even acknowledge the worried acrobat.

"Quatre…Are you alright? What are you doing here?"

Trowa asked gently, yet he received no reply. Quatre merely moaned then stood up with unsteady legs and began to head outside. As he threatened to lose his balance and fall, Trowa was by his side in a flash, one arm encircled around the blonde's waist, while his head readily rested itself comfortably on Trowa's welcoming shoulders.

"He's…asleep."

With a straight face, Trowa spoke loud enough for Wufei to hear. The other though, only stared at the black grand piano without moving, as though sorting something out on his mind. He appeared not to have heard Trowa when the acrobat stated he was leaving.

And now, Wufei was left all alone in the music room again, enthralled by the haunted piece of instrument.


	4. Upon illfated beings

**Chapter 4: "Upon ill-fated beings…"**

Clear, transparent liquid languidly trailed down the back of Quatre's neck, tracing every curve of his bare body, his skin glistening in the darkness. Only the shower's hissing noise could be heard as the blonde immersed himself to his thoughts, brow furrowed as though in tight concentration, disregarding his surroundings and momentarily shutting himself from the outside world.

Something…something definitely is wrong with him…

Closing his jade eyes to savor the warmth of the water, Quatre could feel soft hands adeptly massaging his head, then slowly going down to caress his neck with the utmost care, cautious not to cut his air supply by squeezing too hard. For a moment there, Quatre's mind eye could make out a familiar vague form of a tall brown-haired lad, his usual gravity-defying hair plastered wet on his expressionless face, further hiding his other forest-green eye from view. A hollow laugh was then released from the blonde's mouth with a slow shake of his head, such absurd thoughts populating his head lately. No wonder he even seemed to be having hallucinations. Perhaps…he is indeed losing his sanity. Since they arrived in this freaky old manor, memories, blurred and complex, began assaulting him in the form of brief flashbacks. And Quatre had no clue of what those flashbacks intend to make him see.

Yet this was not the only thing bothering the blonde ex-Gundam pilot. The sudden fluctuation of his body temperature whenever that certain someone is near was also starting to bug him. Hugging himself as though feeling cold despite the warmth the shower offers, Quatre's body began to shake, signaling the arrival of a nervous fit. Lately, he was getting a lot of these attacks, for reasons he can't decipher.

_'Calm down… calm down…'_

Sweat seemed to form on his skin blending in with the flowing water from the showers as Quatre panicked.

_'What to do…What to do…'_

Suddenly feeling weak, the blonde allowed himself to sink to the ground, arms still wrapped around himself attempting to stop the spasms, while his knees were bent tight. Opening his eyes, he found that he was having trouble focusing his sight. Blurred images of a man's silhouette occupied his wide jade orbs. _'Who…are you…?'_ Was his last thought before giving in to the temptation of sleep.

Sleep, he seemed to be falling asleep in the strangest of positions lately.

--

Trowa stared back at the pitiful object trying in vain to appear human-like. With its poor excuse of an imperfect circle filled with cotton for a face, along with its slightly elongated body clad with a filthy shirt once white, but was now somewhere between gray and brown, Trowa could almost imagine how frustrated its maker must have been with this undesirable result. Yet despite his thought of it being ugly, the tall acrobat continued to lock his gaze on the battered ragdoll. Battered, it appeared pretty much abused, it must have been longing for its death.

Death, funny he even thought of using that inappropriate word. The thing doesn't even have a life for it to have a death as well. Perhaps, figuratively speaking, but literally? Shaking his head, Trowa abruptly picked up the doll, throwing away his hesitation.

_'Let's get this over with, the sooner this gets fixed, the better Quatre will be.'_

Placing the needle into its position, uncertainty again flooded Trowa's conscience and it prompted his hands to a stop, just before he could pierce the poor object with the needle's pointy end. '_Worry not, this won't hurt, and this won't take long either.'_

What the hell—Did he just sound like he was worried for the ragdoll getting hurt for this little operation?

What is he, a four-year-old sniveling kid with the belief that dolls and stuffed toys have life and therefore can feel pain as well?

Choosing to laugh at his absurdity instead, Trowa began sewing its head back to its body, deliberately avoiding to glance at its face. The doll's expression was bothering him. It somewhat reminded him of his clown mask, and their resemblance was something Trowa doesn't appreciate seeing.

Finally managing to concentrate, Trowa swiftly and expertly moved his hands in a rhythmic pattern of sewing, his mind going blank due to the intensity of concentration he was giving his work credit for. Until—

There was a faint and brief muffled scream coming from the bathroom.

Quatre!

Instead of piercing the doll's neck, the needle slid down to prick Trowa's finger instead immediately drawing out a red pearl of blood, yet he paid it no heed as he stood up rigidly from his seat, the chair falling back from the impact. Then tossing the unfinished doll on the bed, Trowa headed straight for the bathroom, anxiety written all over his face as he reached the door and twisted the knob, yet it wouldn't budge.

"Quatre! What's happening there? Are you alright? Open the door!"

Trowa resisted the urge to bang on the door upon receiving no verbal assurance that the other was in a fine state, so instead he continued to twist the knob, until the door suddenly flung open, revealing an out-of-breath Quatre in nothing but a towel covering his private parts. He was soaked to the bone, dripping wet blonde hair sticking on his flushed face, his skin glistening with the remnants of numerous droplets of water, he had one hand grabbing the doorknob for support while his knees were slightly bent forward, and he was breathing hard, big jade eyes expressing fear and panic.

"Quatre? What's wrong? What—did you see in there?"

Upon calming down and regaining his composure, only then did Quatre become aware of his present state, that he quickly averted his jade eyes from Trowa's scrutinizing forest green ones. He was about to move past Trowa yet the metallic smell of blood did not escape the blonde's nose. With wide eyes, Quatre traced the source of the smell and it led him to Trowa's bleeding finger. Though the cut was small and of no danger, the large scarlet pearl of blood was unable to hide itself from Quatre's worried eyes. Without thinking, Quatre immediately grabbed Trowa's finger and placed it on his mouth.

"What—"

Looking up at the tall acrobat, Quatre's completely innocent yet seductive smile accompanied by a pair of shining jade eyes managed to drown out the words from Trowa's throat as he allowed the other to proceed with his work without any protests. But still, this just seemed…wrong…So wrong…He shouldn't allow Quatre to treat him like this, he had no right to—

"You worry too much for me, don't you Trowa? You shouldn't push yourself too hard, you know. That doll, it was damaged beyond repair. And we can't do anything about it now. The curse was already unleashed upon us. There is nothing we could do to prevent it. We could only…look after each other's backs from now on, and survive through this ordeal. Don't you agree? Nothing is scary if we face it all together."

Trowa was surprised at Quatre's utter indifference towards the fact that they were, needless to emphasize, cursed, as in CURSED. And the worst part of it was, not one of them has any idea on what ill fortune is soon to befall on them. Death…Misery…Bad Luck…Depression…Grief…Guilt…Any of those could haunt them for the rest of their lives if the curse takes its effect on them. Yet why, why did Quatre seemed so…calm and accepting?

--

"Man, this place sucks. No electricity means no light, no ventilation, no working appliances! How the hell are we supposed to enjoy our vacation like this?"

"Simple Maxwell, just shut your mouth, stop complaining and get your butt moving, is what."

"Wu-man, haven't you gotten used to this mouth of mine yet? Really, don't we have any freedom of speech here? Oof! Hey watch it!"

"You watch it Maxwell! Why don't you keep your distance from me? Make that permanently, you sick Neanderthal."

"Hey quit it with the poor descriptions will ya?"

Nursing his red nose, Duo backed away from the annoyed Chinese lad. Wufei meanwhile, began to light his candle, as he found the creeping darkness to be quite inconvenient with a careless Duo around, bumping through things and people.

"Move it." Wufei commanded, handing another lit candle to a snorting Duo who snatched it with a scowl on his face. "You better give some to Yuy and the rest." Without waiting for a positive response, Wufei turned on his heel and began his exploration of the mansion once again.

"Wait up! How come I get to be the delivery guy here? Besides, exploring this place alone is no fun Wu. Oh I know! You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you? Well tell you what Fei, I won't let you getaway this time. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!" Stomping towards Wufei's direction, Duo quickly pocketed the remaining three candles, a bright smile filling up his face. Now he can rub his hands together in glee for his success in having Wufei all to himself. Indeed, teasing the temperamental Chinese lad is amusing. Duo likes his reactions the best, at least, compared to a serious and unfazed Heero. Sighing to himself, Duo wondered if ever the day will come that Heero will laugh for him. Yes, that would be nice.

"So, you gonna tell me what you were doing in the music room alone, submerged in the dark? And you never told us that you play the piano, and quite well too as I've heard of it a while ago…" Duo watched in mild amazement as he swished his candle from left to right, observing the bright tear-drop shaped flame dancing along with his hand's movement, while he awaits Wufei's answer.

"It wasn't me…It was…Quatre…" Wufei answered in a quiet voice, as though afraid the said person might hear him and once again suddenly appear from thin air, looking ghostly pale and dazed. He'd hate to admit it, but at that time, Wufei somehow felt…frightened of the other's strange behavior. Frightened, why would there be a need for him to be frightened of Quatre? The soft-hearted ex-pilot of the late Sandrock, the kind master of the Maguanacs …

Interrupting their conversation, the two heard a sudden creak above their heads, and the odd sound alerted the two to heighten their senses. With an alarmed look on Duo's face, he grabbed Wufei's hand and dragged him towards the stairs leading to the attic.

"What do you think you're—"

"Something's in the attic. This might be IT!" While Duo appeared saturated by excitement, his companion was filled with confusion reflected on his face.

"What IT are you talking about? Let go!"

"Oh don't be such a scaredy-cat Fei. With me here, there is absolutely nothing to fear!"

Groaning, Wufei only allowed himself to be dragged as he slapped one hand on his face, looking somewhat miserable.

--

Outside, it was pitch black, there was not a good sight to be seen, except for countless trees spreading far away and enclosing the rundown manor, giving it a feel of imprisonment. No wonder people chose to abandon this poor structure. Keen midnight blue eyes continued to roam on the dim surroundings, sensitive ears straining to pick up any sounds of living creatures, yet he heard none. The forest felt so empty, so devoid of life forms, there was only trees, with the same faces that it began to be an eyesore for Heero. Smirking to himself, he thought the trees would make a nice bonfire.

And so, for lack of anything better to do, Heero proceeded to step outside, ignoring the fact that he should be resting at this time of the night and not going about cutting trees with poor excuse of a scrawny axe, but that was all Heero could find in the old manor. After all, he didn't bring with him any sharp, pointy objects that could be used as a weapon. No, more like, wasn't allowed to bring them. They were under strict orders from Lady Une not to bring any destructive weapons, for they will have no need for it, or won't they really?

Dismissing the thought, Heero lifted his axe and allowed it to rest on his shoulder while studying the trees, trying to choose the weakest, most likely to give in to his poorly-sharpened axe.

Yet before he could even start, a loud crash was heard from inside the house, and to be precise, Heero was sure it came from the attic. Several incomprehensible yells could be heard following as the crash continued. Curious, Heero clutched his axe tighter and headed inside.

--

Quatre jumped away from Trowa as the other unintentionally pulled to retrieve his finger from the blonde's mouth. Partly offended, Quatre took a few steps away from Trowa to allow him his physical space back, jade eyes cast down on the floor as though he had done something shameful that he was unable to look the other in the eye.

"Quatre, I—" Trowa was not given the chance to explain himself as the loud crash from the attic drowned out the rest of his words. Instead of speaking them out again, Trowa only gave one lingering apologetic look on the blonde before gesturing to have a look upstairs. Apparently, Quatre shared Trowa's alarm and curiosity that he decided to let this slip. Instead, he quickly followed Trowa through the attic, heart pounding loudly against his chest, fearful of what might have become of his clueless, skeptical friends.

'_Please let them be alright…Please…'_ Quatre silently prayed, as he found himself staring straight at Trowa's back, turquoise shirt invading his mind's eye as of the moment.

"Stay close Quatre…" Trowa said almost in a whisper as they slowed their pace, though Quatre seemed not to have heard of it.

Now that they have reached the top of the stairs, the attic was quiet and seemingly undisturbed despite being the source of the crash just minutes ago. And since the room was flooded with darkness, Trowa could not see a thing. Somehow, he began to feel worried. He could practically sense a presence in the room.

"Duo…Wufei…Heero…?" Instinct told him to call out his friends' names, yet there came no answer.

"Trowa…Someone is…here…" Quatre said softly, as he slowly approached the darkened room, yet before he could go any further, Trowa grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. Quatre only gasped in surprise as he suddenly found himself pressed hard against the acrobat's chest. Once again, he could feel his face heating up, and he was starting to have difficulty in breathing. This close proximity…this intimate position…this protective arm…this sturdy chest…

Before Quatre could move or protest, a disoriented groan was heard coming from somewhere deep into the dark, close to the attic's diamond-shaped windows. Trowa immediately recognized the voice as that of the Japanese lad ones.

"Heero?" He called out quietly as they began to approach the source of the voice.

"I'm fine…Don't worry, I just got hit by…"

There was a long pause, as though the other was struggling to find a term for his attacker.

"By?" Quatre asked in a worried tone, they were now standing directly in front of a still disoriented Heero sitting on the ground with his back against the diamond-shaped windows. "That." Heero answered, pointing behind them. A pair of glinting silver eyes immediately met Trowa and Quatre as they turned to their backs. It was a black cat, and it looked as though it weighed a ton, no wonder it managed to push Heero back with such strength.

"Where did that come from? I don't recall seeing a cat upon our arrival here though." Quatre commented as he stood beside Heero, jade eyes never leaving the suspicious looking cat.

On the other hand, the tall acrobat already seemed to forget about their missing companions and became fascinated with the furry animal instead that he gently closed their distance, careful to deliver his intentions clearly to the cat so as to earn its trust. Though in this case, it doesn't seem to be needed anymore as the cat readily sauntered towards Trowa's open arms.

Sighing, Quatre put his hands on both hips, like a mother scolding a child. "Trowa, this is no time to be petting cats. Let's go find the others. Where were they anyway? Got any ideas Heero?"

Dusting himself clean before standing up to full height again, Heero gave Quatre a questioning look, midnight eyes unable to hide its concern for the two missing ex-gundam pilots. "I thought they were here in the attic. While I was outside, I heard some voices yelling up here. I assumed it was Duo, or Wufei." Again, Heero bent down to retrieve his fallen axe from the floor. Who knows, he might need this later.

"Are you sure of what you've heard Heero? As you can see, we are the only ones here right now." With Quatre's statement, Heero abruptly narrowed his eyes before heading towards the stairs, determined to search the manor for Duo and Wufei.

"Wait Heero! We'll help look for them too."

"We'd better split up then." Was Heero's serious reply with an impassive face. He was already descending the stairs.

"Trowa, you coming?" Eying the black cat suspiciously, Quatre crossed his arms over his chest, his mind screamed for the cat to get away from Trowa's arms, yet he knew better than to voice out his thoughts. Nope, he wasn't jealous in the least. He could care less if Trowa decides to bring that cat along and shift his attention to the blasted furry mammal instead.

"Ah, sure."

As though snapping out of trance, Trowa released the cat and went after Quatre. With a smug look on his face, Quatre surreptitiously stuck his tongue out at the innocent animal, declaring himself victorious over Trowa's attention. The black cat though, merely yawned and trailed after Trowa, its new master.

--

**_A/N: To Hellfire, thanks so much for your review! Looking forward to hearing from you again! Same as the others, I shall patiently await for your reviews!_**


	5. Doomed to Misfortune

**Chapter 5: Doomed to misfortune**

"It's too dark in here, Heero have you got any spare candles? It's getting hard to see—Ow!"

There was a thud, Trowa and Heero immediately halted their hunting and turned their attention to Quatre who found himself sprawled on the wooden floor. Strange, despite the floor being wooden, it felt ice cold that it practically hurt his bare arms and cheeks upon contact.

"I'm alright, I'm fine, just…cold." Quatre quickly stated as he felt someone drag him back to his feet. And next came a warm arm draped over his shoulder.

It was Trowa, always the caring and understanding one, anticipating all his needs and making sure he receives them. Thankful for the darkness as it hid his furiously blushing cheeks, Quatre began to move alongside a figure whom he assumed was Heero. Who else would the figure be anyway? Close beside him was Trowa, previously in front of him and now beside him should be no one but Heero, it was after all, just the three of them here. Funny that thought even crossed his mind.

As they resumed walking in silence, Quatre found the atmosphere growing more uncomfortable by the moment that he tried to search his brain for any topic of conversation, anything to divert his attention away from his fears. "Heero, where exactly are we going to start looking for them?" The blonde finally gathered the courage to ask as he remembered the Japanese lad mentioning a while ago something about splitting up in order to find their missing friends.

"I'll cover the floor below the attic, the two of you can take your pick of where to search. Let's meet outside after thirty minutes." Heero calmly replied, without any hint of annoyance as what Quatre had expected that the blonde took this opportunity to voice out his opinion.

"But don't you think it's better if we search together? I know time is of the essence and that we'll cover more grounds if we split up, but it'll be safer to be together, especially in this darkness…" Quatre's voice trailed off, he knew he probably sound like a weakling, whining to his friends not to be left alone like a scared and whimpering kid, yet he is sure it is for the better if they all stay together. Two of them were lost already, Quatre won't be able to handle it if he were to lose more.

He briefly stole a glance on Trowa who seemed not to be paying attention to the conversation, his forest-green eyes were focused somewhere ahead of them, his face completely blank yet there rests a hint of disturbance.

"Right Trowa?"

No reaction, the acrobat must not have heard him. Sighing, Quatre turned to look at Heero instead as he saw the other bent down to pick up something on the ground. They were currently below the attic, the third floor, which they were only able to explore now. And so, they each tried to imprint on their minds the structure of the floor for later reference, should something unexpected arise.

"What have you got there Heero?" Quatre asked the quiet Japanese lad who continued to stare at the object sitting on his palms. From the blonde's position and due to lack of illumination, Quatre was unable to identify what it is Heero had found.

"Candle, must be from Wufei. And I assume he is with Duo. This object being dropped here indicates they have passed this way." Heero patiently explained while Trowa now turned his attention back to them as well.

"Trowa…" At the sound of his name softly spoken by the calm Japanese lad, Trowa caught the other's stare and immediately an understanding between them was formed. They both nodded simultaneously. Quatre was only left to stare at them with a look of confusion on his face while the two began to move mechanically to carry out their plan, whatever it is.

"What are you two up to? Care to let me in on your little scheme?" Quatre tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice as much as he could, yet he can't help sounding a bit jealous, jealous for the two somehow knows something he doesn't. And then an urgent thought crossed his mind, since when did Trowa and Heero become this close? Upon mentally stating that question, a series of possible conclusions came to his mind, momentarily shutting himself from his surroundings.

Amazing ability one got when one is obsessed in finding out a good, satisfying excuse to block out the chances of one's fears from actually happening.

And then Quatre immersed himself to his analysis. Well for starters, the five of them are not the best of buddies, in fact, despite being together during missions, and hanging out whenever they have spare time, it still didn't change the fact that they are all soldiers who were trained not to trust people easily.

Yes Quatre considers them his friends, valuable friends, yet there is still something, some kind of barrier preventing them from getting past each other's walls.

Yes, Quatre finds it fun to spend time with his co-pilots, as they all seemed to share similarities one way or another, likewise, they also experience antagonizing each other, like how Wufei is to Duo and vice versa, heck might as well say how Duo is to everybody! Correction though, only Wufei reacts very strongly to the wild American's banters and tricks.

Moving on, what about the relationship or attitude of each member towards the other members?

Like Heero and Trowa?

Or Duo and Trowa?

Or Wufei and Trowa?

Wait, why does his pairing seemed to revolve around Trowa and Trowa alone?

Anyway, Quatre could recall Trowa actually telling him something before, about helping Heero Yuy recover from that devastating self-destruction episode of his and of how he was the one to give the great Heero the advice of living by following your emotions and of how he accompanied Heero that one whole day to try and atone for his sins so that he could clear his conscience and rid himself of guilt once and for all.

Now that might suggest something…

Come to think of it…

How does Trowa see Heero anyway?

By doing all those things, could it mean Trowa's concern bordered on something more than sympathy?

Or perhaps, Trowa only did that because it's the right and decent thing to do at that point?

That does not automatically suggest anything malicious, doesn't it?

"Quatre…"

Trowa merely whispered and it was enough to jolt Quatre back to reality. Upon being aware of his current situation, he abruptly glanced at the person who called him and received an unusual frown from the tall acrobat.

"Yes Trowa? Is there…anything I can help you with? Whatever you two are er—doing."

Quatre practically stammered in his attempt of hiding his space out. What the hell is he thinking, suspecting Trowa and Heero of having some sort of malicious affairs behind his back. Moreover, why should he care if they have or they haven't? It's none of his bloody business! Whatever Trowa decides, Quatre can't interfere. He's not Trowa's father, for sanity's sake. Nor is he his—his whatever. He is just a co-pilot, a co-agent, a colleague. Nothing more, nothing less.

"You can start by feeling the walls for any hidden switches." Heero hurriedly supplied before Trowa could even speak. Quatre only gave a slight nod while hiding a huge sigh of relief.

_'So that's what is is…'_

"Oh why didn't you tell me earlier…" He instead mumbled to himself as he too, began to set to work.

Quatre then began to grope the walls almost blindingly due to the growing, or was it just his imagination, darkness. He had only just started and already, he found this task quite loathsome. The wall's surface was no better than the cold wooden floor. If even possible, the exterior of the walls felt colder than ice, and it stung his palms as he continued to fumble for a switch. Yet he kept his complaints to himself. He can tell the others were trying their best so there's no reason for him not to try his best as well.

A few more minutes of blindly groping for some imaginary switch later, Quatre heard a muffled meow. With an annoyed look, Quatre turned in Trowa's direction, where he thought he saw the black cat audaciously rubbing itself on Trowa's leg. He suddenly felt envious.

"Hey where are you going?"

He heard Trowa say in an almost inaudible whisper as the black cat zoomed past Quatre. On the process, Quatre felt the cat's claws brush with his ankle. Biting back his bottom lip, he was sure the cat scratched him.

_'Ow! That cat, it's going to pay!'_ The blonde thought angrily as he moved to follow the cat's trail despite the darkness. He was aware though, that the cat was headed downstairs.

"Quatre what are you doing? Come back here!"

Heero yelled for the first time that day. But Quatre never even turned back, and Trowa was following the blonde without a minute's hesitation, leaving Heero all alone on the third floor.

"And you said we're not supposed to split up…" Heero said to himself, midnight blue eyes betraying his monotone as it reflected his anxiety for his two comrades. He was torn in between leaving their unfinished task, or following his fleeing friends.

--

"Wake up sleepy head! We can't have you sleeping excessively in the mornings and none in the evenings, can we? Where's the fun in all that?"

Duo, it was Duo's voice no doubt. Yet how…?What…?Where is he…?

Last night's events was a blur, all Quatre could remember was running into complete darkness with nothing but the faint sound of the annoying cat's mocking meows beckoning him to follow it to who-knows-where. And then the next thing he knew, it was morning, and he was waking up to the sound of Duo's extremely loud and perky voice. He thought he would never hear that voice again.

What about Wufei? Was he safe? And Heero? And most of all, Trowa. Are they all safe?

Wait, safe from what exactly? What gave him the idea that they are in any danger anyway?

Quatre instantly sat upright on his bed, jade eyes opened wide as he surveyed his surroundings without wasting a second, hoping beyond all hope that the people he expected to see were all really there, safe and uninjured.

"Relax Quat, we're alright, and so are you. Don't worry we got it all fixed. We won't ever fear come nighttime anymore." Duo said with a wink as he noticed the blonde's worried and perplexed expression on his face. "But that aside, let me ask you, are you feeling fine? Does your head hurt?"

"What, my head? No…I supposed I…I'm fine…Other than a little worried, nothing seems to hurt…" Quatre quietly answered as he lowered his gaze to be trained on the bed sheet which he was now clutching hard. Trowa, as always, noticed the other's discomfort and confusion that he stepped forward and took Duo's place to kneel beside the bed and cover Quatre's hand with his. Duo willingly complied and stepped back to observe the pleasing sight. He even caught Wufei and Heero's approving stares as they each smiled to themselves surreptitiously.

"Last night, when you ran after the cat, I went after you and found that you've lost your footing on the way down to the second floor. I was unable to reach you in time. You fell and when I got to you, you were lying facedown on the ground. I was afraid you might have hit your head. I'm glad you weren't hurt. Or are you really not? Please tell me honestly if something hurts in you Quatre." 'Don't make me worry for you…' Once again, Trowa caught himself just in time, no, it won't do well to send the blonde false signs of his excessive concerns, he might just hurt him in the end. Better not than rot, as ridiculous as it may sound.

"Oh. Is that so…I…Why can't I remember a thing?" Quatre spoke quietly more to himself as he stared blankly through the bed sheets, his hand still feeling cold despite being covered by Trowa's warm ones.

"Perhaps it would be better if Quatre gets a few more hours of rest. We can just resume our activities tonight since we've already fixed the electricity in this place, there should be no more problem working in the dark." Wufei finally spoke up, hinting at the three to leave Quatre be for the meantime. Fortunately, they all got the message.

Reluctantly, Trowa removed his hand from Quatre's, stood up and turned to leave.

"I'll be back in a while Quatre. Please take your time to rest."

Quatre couldn't tell what the underlying meaning was in that statement and of the way Trowa said it. Yes, up to now, he still can't fully decipher the acrobat's actions. He sighed, slightly nodding as though Trowa could see him.

Once Trowa was out of the room though, the rest followed, giving last reminders to Quatre of sitting still and not exerting too much effort to worry and think about last night's events. As the sound of the door being closed came, Quatre sank back to his bed, eyes shut tight and desperately calling sleep to come forth and invade him. Maybe somehow, when he wakes up later, all this feelings of unease will be gone.

--

Tired, exhausted and simply drained. The five ex-gundam pilots lay sprawled on the wooden floor after a tedious search for some missing object that they were assigned with. They have never felt so tired in their whole lives. How can they when the search had gone nonstop for one whole day? In this big mansion, complete with three floors and an attic full of junks, with only five people to search the area, it can never be finished in just a snap of the finger.

"We've been looking for hours and I still don't know what exactly it is we're trying to locate."

Duo commented dryly as he tried to lift his upper body by using his elbows as support. Beside him, Heero lay perfectly still, his ragged breathing, heard by no one but himself, which made him appear unfazed by their previously heavy task. Lying across from him in a similar position and condition, Trowa, with his eyes closed, answered for Duo. "That's because they themselves don't know what they want us to find Duo."

"Oh so you're suggesting they just sent us here to somehow get rid of us? What are we, some kid to lose in the woods? I think not!"

"How come you say such things now Maxwell. Weren't you the one overly excited in accepting this, what you call, 'challenge'?" Aiming to irritate the American further, Wufei raised his hands and swatted an invisible fly while he made no effort to move from his lying position. If no one is getting up, then he won't either.

Apparently, someone is really testing Wufei today. Almost automatically, Duo stood up swiftly and glared down at the still relaxed Wufei, violet eyes like daggers pinning the Chinese youth to the ground. "I will see what edible thing we can eat in the kitchen while you four lazy asses enjoy breathing unbearable air here." Surprisingly, Duo seemed to avoid further argument as he made his way towards the kitchen, long brown braid swinging along with his rough movements, all the way muttering furiously to himself and his very hungry stomach.

"Now that's what I call putting your resources to good use." Wufei said with a smirk, black beady eyes trailing after Duo's figure until it was out of his view. Quatre only gave a light chuckle while Trowa and Heero remained reaction-less, or probably already asleep with their eyes completely open.

--

Parched, famished, starved. Quatre's vision had gone blurry and his legs felt all the more wobbly as he tried to get up from his bed. Pushing his palm against the wall to somehow support him, Quatre squinted his jade eyes, adjusting to his dim surroundings. He tried to locate the wall clock which he was sure is positioned somewhere near the door. But to no avail, he ended up walking blindly towards the door instead, unable to suppress his body's urges to raid the kitchen and feed his growling stomach. But before that, maybe he'll grant himself some fluids first. Quatre felt so thirsty he swore he would not even hesitate to suck the plants dry in the woods should they run out of mineral water. Yes, there is no point in being choosy now.

Barefooted, he then carefully made his way towards the stairs, soundlessly passing by Wufei and Heero's room, and then Duo's, and lastly Trowa's. And then the blonde halted as his ears unintentionally picked up odd, misplaced sounds coming from Trowa's room. Unlike Heero and the others' room, quiet and devoid of any activities, in Trowa's, something seems to be going on. What was more peculiar was the door standing ajar, though no light was coming from it, Quatre could tell there were movements inside.

With his curiosity aroused, Quatre tiptoed towards the door hoping to get a view of the inside, yet having no idea of what he might find. A very wide-awake Trowa perhaps, practicing some circus routine to pass a particularly insomniac night away. With his thirst and starvation completely forgotten, Quatre inched closer, hoping to catch Trowa doing some stretching, or exercising, or even meditating as what he'd learned from Wufei.

Nothing could have prepared the blonde for what devoured his vision next. He was beyond aghast, all the blood draining from not only his face but his entire body as he stood there with his eyes glued to the horrible sight on the floor. A tear slid down his pale cheeks while a hand clutched his chest tightly, roughly as he whispered hoarsely.

"Tro…wa…"

--

"Howdy peeps! What did I miss?"

The living room had grown quiet upon Duo's arrival, and the people in it seemed to freeze as the overly cheerful American headed straight for the kitchen, his top priority. "Oh goody scrambled eggs and hotdogs! Thanks for leaving some for me." Duo shouted from the kitchen, as he was still evidently clueless of what had just went on before he came in.

Back to the living room, Quatre was avoiding everyone else's stares, especially Trowa's. The blonde has this angry look in his usually soft and mirthful jade eyes, and he seemed to carry with him an odd energy of mixed depression, despair and resentment. Trowa had no idea on how to approach him. He was terribly confused of Quatre's sudden shift in behavior. He wondered, what had he done wrong? Quatre seemed to direct these violent feelings towards him in particular.

Was this about last night? When he left Quatre in a haste? But he didn't mean anything bad in it, he just wanted Quatre to get his rest.

Maybe the blonde somehow misunderstood? Or maybe it was Trowa and his sometimes 'cold' gestures?

Yes, Trowa tends to appear cold and uncaring sometimes, he was never the expressive type anyway. Oftentimes, people get the wrong message from his unfathomable body language.

But Quatre must know, Quatre must understand, Quatre must feel Trowa's warmth and affection towards him and him alone. It needn't be spoken out loud.

Heero however, only resigned himself to being an observer, as he himself felt not in the mood today, especially upon realizing that they were somewhat behind schedule. They've been here for three days already and so far, their search had not yielded any sort of progress at all. What more bothered him was the fact that Quatre seemed to be behaving strangely since the day they set foot in this place, and it was affecting each and every one of them badly, whether the outward manifestations are noticeable or not.

Wufei meanwhile, never wanted to do anything about arguments despite being in a constant verbal sparring or bantering with Duo. And seeing two of his comrades engage in a quiet battle of shooting daggers and lazers through their eyes annoys the hell out of him. He has no time for this, lover's quarrel or whatever form of flirting this is, Wufei wants nothing to do with it. Yet out of respect, he decided to stay put on the sofa, letting his mind work instead as he planned their next move. Tonight, they'll explore the secret passages he had found on the map. Yes, he hasn't told them yet of his recent discoveries, partly because he thought it wasn't time yet.

Finally, Duo returned in the living room as he flopped down on the sofa next to Wufei, comfortably positioning himself by crossing his legs and raising his hands to clasp them together behind his head. Everyone remained still and made no effort to move, it went on for another three long minutes before Duo was unable to hold back any longer. "What, did your tongues get cut off or something? Or were you all simply overwhelmed by my presence?" He practically yelled at them. For a few seconds, no one volunteered to answer.

Until Quatre finally broke the silence.

"You really want to know Duo?" He asked in a dangerously low and soft tone.

"You want me to expose your true self in front of them Duo? Of your true nature, and of how you like your whores in a different gender? Want me to reveal what insanely erotic escapade you had last night? Do you?!" Quatre began to yell out his questions and as he finished letting them all out, he was shaking, jade eyes burning with immeasurable fury, teeth gritted and fists clenched tight by his sides, as though restraining himself to assault anyone. Four pairs of eyes stared back at him in stunned silence. All were thinking the same. What is he speaking of? Who is this person in front of us? WHERE in all existing worlds and universe, has Quatre Rebarba Winner gone off to?

--

_A/N: Thanks very much to paprika sundae(Hm..let me think about it, wonder what name is suitable for the black cat...*winks*), Aja-Golde and Hellfire! Please continue to support me! *bows*_


	6. And obscured future

**Chapter 6: "And obscured future…"**

Quatre stormed off, away from his 'friends', away from Trowa, away from his pain. For he can't handle it any longer, his chest seemed to be tightening, his eyes practically unseeing as it was overlaid with nothing but pure white, pure fury, pure resentment, violence coursing through his veins, blood pounding in his skull. His whole body was trembling badly and his hands, he can never tell what they might do that he tried his best to keep himself away from any sharp, pointy objects. For he had lost control, he had surrendered.

Upon finally reaching his room, he closed the door in a haste and leaned against it, eyes shut tight, hands travelling to his mouth and covering them as though preventing his sobs to escape. And then his eyes snapped open, realizing what horrible things he had spouted just a while ago. And then Trowa, with a pained and confused expression on his face, flashed on his mind, Quatre almost gagged. He didn't want to relieve the image he had seen last night, he didn't want to know what prompted the two to do something like that, he didn't want the two to explain themselves to him. He didn't want anything at all! All he wants, is a peace of mind.

Practically crawling to his bed, Quatre decided to calm himself down and face the four later to apologize for his outrageous behavior. Yes, apologize, he will. But before he could even make it to his bed, a sense of vertigo overwhelmed him, making his vision blurry and his head groggy, his body heavy, his arms and legs weigh like tons of blocks he can barely get them to move according to his will. And then he blacked out.

His last thought was, 'Trowa…I'm sorry…'

--

"Quatre! What have you done, again?"

A woman with short blond hair framing her heart-shaped face reprimanded, both hands on her hips as she stared down at her little brother who was currently lying peacefully on his bed, liquid jade eyes staring out through the windows, completely marveled by the sight of the setting sun. This day was tiring, tiring yet fun, different from those boring ,typical days of just sitting here in his room doing nothing as though just waiting for Death to fetch him, or Oblivion to swallow him, not that they would come swiftly or even easily.

"Iria, I've done nothing, I've been behaving since the day you promised to give me a 'special gift' as you termed it." Quatre answered as he blew on some stray bangs falling on his forehead blocking his view of the sun.

"Did father tell you to scold me again? There is no need to, you know. I don't want to be of trouble to father and the others. Anyway, do you mind revealing that 'special gift' you were telling me about? I don't think I can stand another day without a plaything to amuse myself with." The blonde spoke, his jade eyes suddenly glinting almost wickedly, losing its previous lethargic and lackluster look, which only indicates his curiosity and excitement are being aroused, very much so by this mysterious gift of his sister's.

"Oh must you always ruin the surprise? I shouldn't have told you. Yet I was forced to use it as a blackmail just to have you to stay put and not give father and the others headache and heart attacks. Quatre, you know your body's condition, your limit, therefore, you have to be cautious all the time. You can't afford to be careless. No point in getting us all worried about your welfare."

'_You mean worried about how long I'll last and keep you all cursed. Me, a complete burden, a disgrace to the family, a weakling who's good for nothing, a parasite sucking money out of the Winner family, a useless being who had it easy in life. Say it, why don't you…'_

"Quatre, I can read you like an open book, you know. And I must tell you I am very disappointed in you. How many times do I have to remind you that we don't think of you that way? We all love you. Father loves you, Rashid loves you. Me and your sisters love you as well! Even Miss Dorothy is waiting for you to get well. Just be patient, you'll soon see the effect of your therapy. Don't lose hope."

His sister might claim to know him and read him like an open book, yet she still wasn't aware of his brother's particularly morbid thoughts and of how far it went. She wasn't and won't ever be.

"And the present…?"

Quatre held out his arms as though waiting to embrace his present which he imagined is something large and bulky. Iria only giggled as she decided to let go of her sermons for now. Seeing Quatre excited like that was enough to force Iria to reveal her secret gift. She couldn't wait to see his reaction.

Rolling her eyes, Iria pinched Quatre's cheek and then headed for the door. "Thank the gods for giving you irresistible charms and adorable qualities." With a sigh and shake of her head, Iria closed the door of Quatre's room with a mysterious smile on her face.

"Dress yourself up. I shall deliver your present in the Music room." She called out from the outside, her voice gradually fading away along with her foot steps as she proceeded to get Quatre's mysterious present ready.

Quatre only tilted his head as a response, curious with his sister's comment, one hand still holding his pinched left cheek. Then he pouted.

"Really, I hate it when you treat me like an overgrown infant."

Then, smiling to himself gleefully, he carefully lifted the bed covers then stood on his feet, hands grabbing the bedpost for support. Once he was standing fully, he made to reach the mirror, and found his usual reflection staring back at him with equal wonder.

Slowly and unconsciously, his hand had travelled to caress his face, stopping at his eyes. He leaned closer to expect if it's the right hue. He then stared intensely at himself, as though noticing for the first time the color of his eyes. Then his hand moved to touch his blond hair. Gently at first, then he grasped them and pulled at them hard, like tugging away some tight wig. This is wrong…all so wrong…And then Quatre mouthed to himself in a barely audible whisper.

"Who…am I?"

--

The mansion was built especially for him, therefore, it was only right for him to stay there and not leave, as what everyone insisted. True, the house was beautiful enough, simple yet looking marvelous in its own simple way. With its various assortments of intricate pattern designs as floorings which are often left immaculately clean and spotless, large colorful windows, its glass complete with artful decorations, a long hallway populated with paintings of peaceful sceneries soothing to the eyes along with portraits of the Winners, ancestors and current family members, Quatre feels satisfied enough to call it home. It is even complete with a library full of interesting books that could serve as a compensation for his lack of experience in the outside world, a music room to accommodate his love for various instruments like the violin and the piano, a study room where he can sit down for hours and immerse himself in silence as he poured out his creative thoughts to pen and paper, a garden of an average size full of blooming flowers of different kinds which never fails to impress anyone with the beauty it contains and a balcony to every bedrooms in the house, overlooking the garden and beyond it, rows and rows of never-ending greeneries, the quiet and seemingly alive forest. The house even contains a theatre, though slightly small compared to operating theatres of performances, where occasionally, stage plays are being held for Quatre's own amusement. Yet he can't help but feel unsatisfied, empty and eventually spiteful towards the people who call themselves his family when they weren't even willing to stay there by his side through thick or thin. Yes, try as he might, Quatre seemed to end up hating them despite their 'good' intentions of cheering him up.

They just don't understand what my real needs are, Quatre would often think.

As a child, Quatre had always been weak physically. He never gets to survive under the sun for more than 15 minutes, he never tolerates standing alone with nothing to support his back with, he prefers or rather, needs to lean on walls, posts or anything concrete or else he might just lose his balance and fall off. And worst, he gets to fall asleep in the oddest of situations and in the oddest of times.

Yes, Quatre can never be left alone. He has to be constantly looked after to. There was this one time when he was allowed to attend school before, Quatre was practicing the violin with his instructor when he fell asleep right on the spot, losing his consciousness and therefore losing control of his body that he fell to the ground motionless. People were terrified that he almost dropped dead and thought he might have acquired a serious life-threatening illness then and there.

Upon consultation with the doctor though, it was found that Quatre has sleep disorders, nothing too serious and for some time this kept the Winner family at peace. Until the attacks were repeated. That was when they all agreed to have Quatre home-schooled and for him to stay in one place where he can be easily monitored.

Now, Quatre was left with no choice but to endure staying in this prison everyday, a house with its windows constantly closed preventing to let some fresh air and sunlight in, big enough to accommodate three families yet as of the moment, houses only Quatre and some maids.

Yes, its mere beauty is not enough, it remains lacking in Quatre's eyes and heart.

Freedom. Salvation. Love.

Quatre desperately seeks them for the revival of his rapidly dying soul.

--

"Trowa, meet Quatre, my little brother. Quatre, this is the present I'm talking about! I hope you like them. They're the best performers in town! Oh and let me remind you they'll only stay here for a few days so you'd best enjoy your time with them. And Trowa, I expect you to put a glorious, radiant smile on my brother's face with your spectacular performance. Well then, I think I've said enough. Time for me to go back to work. Have fun Quat."

Iria gave a coquettish wink to his brother and a friendly wave to Trowa, who only gave her a blank look with a "Why me" written all over his face, and also to the other performers with him, who waved back just as cheerfully, before leaving the music room and closing the door with a quiet thud. The sound rang in Quatre's ears as though marking the beginning of a race against time, with what little they had, Trowa and him.

Trowa and him. What a strange thought.

This boy…

Quatre turned to look at the person standing quietly and motionlessly in front of him and instantly he was captivated by Trowa's deep forest green eyes. Haunting, it was…and very tempting…But upon closer inspection, Quatre could see a form of emptiness and silent plea of help in those eyes. Yet despite appearing lifeless and dull, Quatre still felt drawn to them somehow. Familiar, Quatre could feel himself already forming a connection with this stranger somehow, odd as it may sound.

Quatre then shifted his eyes to study more of Trowa. The young acrobat's stance depicts his aloof personality while his impassive face and lack of response indicates his strong self-control, no emotions leaking to surface on his countenance for people to see. He wears such a perfect mask, Quatre almost felt envious, unaware that he too, makes use of a flawless mask, though in a different way.

Quatre then licked his lips as he began to feel awkward with all the silence. He opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by a saccharine voice of a female which came out of nowhere, or probably, Quatre was too busy gaping at Trowa's extravagance to even notice the rest of the circus crew.

"Hi! My name is Cathy, Trowa's sister. Nice to meet you Quatre!"

The persistent and overly enthusiastic girl with short curly auburn hair and twinkling purplish eyes stepped up in front of Quatre, effectively blocking his view of Trowa. She extended her hand to the stunned Winner and patiently waited for his response with a friendly and warm smile on her face. Quatre immediately felt a sort of motherly care radiating from the girl who claimed to be Trowa's sister.

Snapping himself from his daze, Quatre politely accepted the girl's hand and shook it gently, amused jade eyes still trained somewhere near Trowa's. What was the girl's name again?

Cathy instantly hinted Quatre's admiration towards her brother that she smirked and decided to play Trowa's spokesperson once again, just as she had always done so in the past.

"By the way, this is my brother Trowa. He's not mute, but he doesn't talk much around strangers. Don't worry, I can tell he likes you though." Cathy remarked with a wink and her last sentence made Quatre blush a cute shade of pink. For a moment there, anyone can be fooled into thinking Quatre Raberba Winner is completely an innocent child of fourteen, incapable of feeling anguish and engaging in violent thoughts let alone activities. Cathy was apparently fooled.

Grabbing Quatre's hand, Cathy guided her to sit on the floor a few spaces from the crew to give them a place to do their performance. "Now just sit there and allow us to entertain you Quatre."

Being a willingly obedient child for the first time in his life, Quatre took a seat on the spot Cathy led him to, his eyes still not leaving Trowa's figure. The next thing he knew, the performance had begun while he continued to watch in silence, all thoughts directed to one person alone.

As soon as the group began their grand entrance, Quatre immediately found himself engrossed to the show, unable to tear his eyes away from the dazzling scene unfolding in front of him, or more specifically, tear his eyes away form a certain brunette who was now gradually claiming the spotlight, outshining every performer in the room, or at least, in Quatre's eyes Trowa stands out the most. Suddenly, something deep within the once lackluster and bored blonde lad imprisoned in the Winner mansion was stirred, instantly curing him of his self-proclaimed illness and ridding him of his melancholy that he unconsciously raised his hand with an open palm directed towards Trowa.

Trowa, oblivious to Quatre's magnifying desire of him, was now flipping gracefully on air, twisting and turning, spinning and gliding smoothly as though without a care in the world. His body movements fluid and flawless, around him, bits of dust swirling in the air as was highlighted by the sun's rays, seemed to give a sparkling glow around the oblivious acrobat. At that moment, Quatre didn't seem to care if the servants of the mansion forgot to rid this room of dust and other filthy residues, as his amused jade eyes continued to lock itself on its target.

"Trowa…You are the one…" Quatre breathed, a mixture of mischief and affection clouding his once dull jade eyes, its target, unaware of the other's growing desire to obtain him.

--

"Quatre?"

Trowa knocked softly on the door of Quatre's room yet he received no response, worry immediately surfacing as Trowa's dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_'I've given him time enough to calm down, but now we should really have a firm talk, I will not holdback this time around, I will see to it that I get answers before this conversation ends. Quatre, you can't escape…'_

Completely absorbed in his thoughts, Trowa was not aware that the door has been relieved of its lock from the other side, a sign of invitation for the other to enter. When Trowa finally decided to give the door another try, he found that it was opened that upon twisting it, Trowa found himself stumbling inside Quatre's very quiet and dark room.

"Quatre?"

Trowa called out again, expecting to find a slumbering blonde, if not irritated and angry of trespassing on his room without further notice. But what greeted Trowa was beyond his expectations.

"Trowa…"

Quatre mumbled softly as his hands snaked its way around Trowa's back, embracing the stunned Trowa and rendering him speechless and motionless. Quatre's unusually soft and affectionate tone, not to mention husky voice further perplexed Trowa that all he was able to do there was to stand rigid and accept the other's embrace. He was about to lose himself to the sensation of Quatre's body pressed against his and of the other's intoxicating signature scent when the other boy began to grip his shirt hard, his fists clenched expressing fury.

"You traitor…"

Upon hearing those words, Trowa suddenly felt his world spinning, his chest tightening, his vision going blurry, all sounds muffled for his ears not to hear clearly, and his hands were shaking, as he gasped.

"Quatre…?"

Confusion and pain swirled on the depths of his bottomless forest-green eyes before they finally closed and Trowa fell on top of Quatre, both crashing to the ground, the other unconscious, the other very much wide awake.

--

**_A.N: I will be waiting for your reviews minna-san. Thank you. *sits patiently and waits*_**


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